Appearances can be Deceiving
by stella brillare
Summary: It's nothing.. really. co-written with onewritinggirl
1. Chapter 1

It's nothing, really, he's sure of it.

So she's had a few untimely and odd phone calls lately, her behavior, well, actually it's been rather suspicious; and she's been strangely jumpy. For a detective, she wasn't always the best liar. But it's nothing.

"Hey." He alerts her to his presence as he makes his way into the break room, and tries to ignore the almost imperceptible way she startles at his voice.

"Hey." She's unusually short, as she slides her phone back into its place in her pocket.

"Coffee?" He tosses out the rhetorical question as he moves towards the machine.

"Sure." Another short response, but he doesn't say or do anything about it, he just continues to fix the coffee for her.

After a few minutes in an awkward silence, sipping their coffee gingerly, he questions her. "So, who was on the phone?"

"Oh…no one." She brings the mug to her lips, and he doesn't the slight smile that comes across her face as the warm liquid soothes her throat.

"Hmm," he responds, obviously knowing otherwise.

"I'll be at my desk." She excuses herself and hurries out of the room before he can ask more questions.

'_It's nothing.' _His inner voice tells him, but there's a part of him that knows this behavior, and…

Kate's not one to…she would never –

No.

He's sure of it.

He's not even going to consider it; because there is no way that she would ever.

Right?

* * *

She knew she shouldn't be doing this.

Castle, definitely, would _never _approve of this.

But honestly, what's the harm, really?

It's only dinner; it doesn't have to mean anything.

Except for the fact that they've had lunch or coffee together four times in the past week.

_Speak of the devil. _She sees Castle getting off the elevator from across the bullpen and waves in acknowledgment before she ducks into the break room to end her call.

"Yeah, I'm sorry he just walked in; I gotta go." She speaks quietly into the phone.

"_We need to tell him, he deserves to know."_

"And I will…. Soon." She glances over her shoulder and she sees his stocky figure making his way over, and she knows she's got to stop this conversation. Now.

"_Before he finds out on his own, because I think you know how well that will go over."_

"Yeah, I know. But he's walking in, I really have to go."

"_See you tonight."_

She hangs up the phone without another word as Castle walks into the room.

"Hey."

"Hey." She stiffens slightly at his tone. It's almost as if he knows. _Well of course he knows something, you idiot! He's not stupid, nor oblivious. It's his job as much as yours to pay attention to details. Every detail._

Coffee?"

"Sure." She knows she's being short, but she's afraid she might give something away if she goes into longer responses.

"So, who was on the phone?"

_Shit._

"Oh…no one." _Come on Kate, you're a detective and that's the best you can do?_

She hears his hum of acquiesce and knows that he doesn't fully believe her. She needs to get out of there, _now._

"I'll be at my desk." She manages to get out as she moves swiftly out of the room, and she's finally got a second to breathe, if only it's just that. A short second, because she knows he won't stay away from her forever.

She sinks into the comfort of her chair, letting out a soft breath, pulling the papers out of the manila folder in hopes to accomplish something before the remorse eats her alive.

* * *

With a silent sigh she pulls her coat over her shoulders, almost (not almost, exactly, she does) feeling bad. Castle invited her over, asked her if she wanted to order in and maybe watch a movie. With the awkward declining of that offer she knows that he's _defiantly_ suspicious now, and knowing him he's going to start digging and won't stop until he figures out what's going on.

He walks her out to her car, kissing her briefly as they bid their farewells. It's an awkward encounter, that's certain. He doesn't ask where she's going or what she's doing tonight, which gives her much relief because she knows that she can't lie to him to save her life.

Driving to the prearranged meeting place, her mind keeps rushing back to her boyfriend and how she really shouldn't be doing this. The torture that he got last time this happened.. After a sharp intake of breath, Beckett shakes her head she tells herself that she shouldn't worry too much right now. She's got to enjoy herself while she still has the chance; while this still lasts.

* * *

Castle waves goodbye to his girlfriend through the back windshield of her car, but he knows that she probably doesn't see him. He waits a minute to turn away and head the direction to his own loft, the question about what she's doing tonight, who she's meeting is nagging at him. Is it the person from the phone call she so quickly ended and wouldn't tell him who it was? Why doesn't she want him to know who she's talking to?

He slowly takes a step backward before swiveling on the heel of his boot and starting the walk back to his loft. _Stop worrying, Castle. She would **never.**_

He wonders if he should have followed her, hopped in a cab and figured out where she was going and who he is with. But he didn't, and he isn't sure if he's mad or proud of the fact that he didn't, because if Beckett caught him there that would probably be the end of his life as he knew it.

As he reaches the loft, makes his way up to his door and steps over the threshold into the empty room, he just shakes this off. Because really, it's nothing. And if it was something, she'd tell him. Wouldn't she?


	2. Chapter 2

They haven't really been spending nearly as much time together lately as they should have been. Be it a case, meetings with his publisher, or Kate's mysterious disappearances.

If she's really just going to have a friendly dinner with one of her friends then she shouldn't be out late, so he figures that he'll show that he isn't suspicious, that he has full trust in her by surprising her. They can sit on her couch with some wine and watch a million (okay, maybe just one or two) movies before falling asleep in the warmth of each other's arms.

Maybe he's got an ulterior motive for wanting to surprise her. Maybe he's subconsciously trying to trap her, hoping that she'll bring her mystery "friend" home with her. He really, truly, hopes that it's just a friend, Lanie, preferably, but there's the gut-wrenching feeling telling him otherwise. He's seen this behavior too many times to know that how the detective is acting is not normal for just seeing a friend to catch up over dinner. No, there's something bigger going on, but he just can't find it in his heart to believe that Kate would ever do something like that.

But, then again, there's a lot about Kate that he doesn't know. She's like an onion, that woman. _Stop it, Castle. Kate's different, she's special, she's…always._

So, only a few hours after the two parted ways Castle finds himself discreetly making his way into her apartment. He's had a key for quite a while, so getting in isn't a problem.

He sets the unopened bottle of the top-notch wine he dug on the coffee table, two crystal classes next to it, and makes himself comfortable on the couch.

He raises his watch in front of his face, reading the time on it. It's just a little past nine, so he's hoping that she'll make her way through the door shortly, if only to prove that she had an innocent dinner with a friend.

Leaning his head over the back of the couch, he starts studying the ceiling patterns, convincing himself that these lines look like different animals and starts making notes of things to show Kate when she gets back.

He doesn't even realize it when he falls asleep.

* * *

She doesn't get home that night until late.

Pushing the door open and making her way across her living room she stops at the sight of Castle stretched out, fast asleep, on her couch. A bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

Her stomach drops instantly.

Here is this wonderful man waiting for her to come home and this is how she repays him; by staying out till the early morning hours with someone else.

The guilt is threatening to eat her alive. _Yeah, some girlfriend you are._

She sits down next to his hip and runs her hand through the hair that falls messily across his forehead. He stirs and blinks up at her.

"Hey," he mumbles, "What time is it?"

"A little after one."

"Late," he notices, still half asleep.

"Mhm," she hums her agreement. "What are you doing here?"

_Besides being too good for me._

"Wanted to surprise you, must've fallen asleep."

He sits up as Kate battles with the remorse.

_He really doesn't deserve this. _Her conscience reminds her.

"Let's go to bed, yeah?" She manages to get out as she helps him up and leads him to the bedroom.

"And what exactly are we going to do in bed detec-" a huge yawn cuts his sentence short as she smiles at him.

"Sleeping, Castle. As if you could stay awake for anything else." She teases him as she goes about getting ready for bed and he falls gracelessly onto the mattress.

By the time she emerges from the bathroom he's already knocked out cold. She settles in next to him under the covers, she's almost asleep as well when she feels his arm snake its way around her waist.

"Love you," he whispers.

She refuses to let the tears fall.

* * *

**Hi, so, yeah. Don't go after Anna with fiery pitch forks for the lack of update in a while, that's completely my fault. You can come after me, but I'm gonna like, explain myself right quick. I'm 17 years old, I attend highschool full time, I work full time, and I have two kids that I take care of. Writing is something I do on the side, so yeah. **

**If you still want to come after me with fire, I give you permission to do so now.**


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